Shopping for root veggies yesterday got us to tonight's dinner: steamed root vegetables with sauerkraut and sausage. To begin with the Mister went to Guglhupf Bakery & Patisserie this week - this can only mean one thing: pastries and sausage. Supposedly leaner and richer than most commercial sausage the G's is the best. OK by me, I'm having a vegan dinner - just lots of root vegetables with broccoli, Brussels sprouts and maybe a corn muffin.
The pot boils and steams and the greens are not even in yet; Edamane beans and kale are going in too.
Next will be sausage links and of the sauerkraut. We've had dinner in the Club dining room three times a week for the whole month because on Tuesday and Thursdays when I have a late swim lesson, by the time I get back home and crash it is way too late to eat. Besides I've been getting into too many Pepsi's lately (my only vice).Tried to do swim practice this morning but was frustrated by the parents of little kids who are just getting used to the water; the kids not the parents. Small children do not bother me so much as older boys who want to jump in and splash but today's problem was not the kids. It was the parents or more specifically a mother. Needing the lane nearest the ramp and wall I stick to the shallow end of the pool and practice with a flotation device. My efforts to let go of the device have been thwarted by people who are not paying attention. Today's mother would hold the boy and float him off to Dad but then stand in MY lane doing nothing. Hello! Get out of the way.
Try as I might to let go, launching, free float, then kicking up to shallow end I cannot very well get where I need to be if this lady is standing in my lane. I was very nice today; I did not scream and shout but the next time she's in the way; all bets are off.
What has me drooling and really amazed is a new product that apparently I am the last to know about. The TMQG quilt ladies have mention the Accu Quilt for dye cutting basic shapes; i.e., circles, hearts, moons, etc., Accu Quilt.com. Priced it out at Joann's but it seemed pricey and it is totally manual - you have to wind the fabric through (like a pasta maker) and the cut fabric emerges on the other side. I can free-cut my own shapes faster than that (?).
BUT - have you seen 'Silhouette' (not the window blind), the "ELECTRONIC" dye cutter? See: Silhouette America , and it is available in two sizes (16" or 20" wide).
An idea whose time has come and nobody told me until the item got mentioned in Designer Digital bi-weekly tips (fess up), see: Designer Digitals. At first I did not know what they were talking about; how to design and upload cutting files? 'Silhouette files'??? THEN I realized it was an electronic cutter whose cutting-tip was driven just like the print-head on your ink-jet printer. Dye cut shapes at home on a consumer product designed for the scrap booking, quilting and designing crafters. Whoa! This is major!
Silhouette electronic cutting machines can cut a wide variety of materials including paper, vinyl, cardstock, fabric, heat transfer material, and so much more. With the included Silhouette Studio® software, you're able to create and cut your own designs and use the fonts already installed on your computer.
Is this the coolest idea ever? I want one!! Not just yet, first I have to find reason to spend $400 and that's just the beginning BUT I can use Photoshop to device shapes and patterns and upload them to Silhouette. Of course if you wish you can buy the outlines for pumpkins, turkeys, snowflakes and other childish images but WHY? You can do it in Photoshop; and you can do custom outlines (from photos?), and create you own custom printed fabric, then cut out custom shapes. I am drooling still. And I just got the short-arm quilting frame set up and need a lot more practice before I can claim to be a machine quilter. So many tools, so little time - how will I get it all done? And learn to swim?
Life can be so difficult. . . . bb
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